Manipulating WSUS client restart behavior

I want to be able to have my WSUS environment install updates overnight to
client PC's but not necessarily restart the machines at that point (for fear
that unsaved work will be lost. . .prompting upset end-users and unneccessary
Help Desk calls). The description of the Group Policy entry for <No
auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Update installation options> seems
straghtforward enough. . .if you Enable, then the user will be notified to
manually restart. Is this what most people are experiencing?

Also, I am curious as to how setting deadlines to updates that require
restarts will effect the behavior of the client PC's. Would the deadline
setting override the Group Policy setting and force a restart or would the
Group Policy setting override the deadline. I would think the latter, but if
anyone has experienced something different I would like to know.

Thank you,
-Brian M. McKnight

Right pew, wrong church. Forwarded to WSUS newsgroup
(microsoft.public.windows.server.update_services) via crosspost as a
convenience to OP.

On the web:
http://www.microsoft.com/communities...pdate_services

In your newsreader:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsof...pdate_services

--
~PA Bear

Brian_McKnight wrote:
> I want to be able to have my WSUS environment install updates overnight to
> client PC's but not necessarily restart the machines at that point (for
> fear
> that unsaved work will be lost. . .prompting upset end-users and
> unneccessary Help Desk calls). The description of the Group Policy entry
> for <No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Update installation options>
> seems straghtforward enough. . .if you Enable, then the user will be
> notified to manually restart. Is this what most people are experiencing?
>
> Also, I am curious as to how setting deadlines to updates that require
> restarts will effect the behavior of the client PC's. Would the deadline
> setting override the Group Policy setting and force a restart or would the
> Group Policy setting override the deadline. I would think the latter, but
> if anyone has experienced something different I would like to know.
>
> Thank you,
> -Brian M. McKnight

On Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:40:53 -0400, "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <>
wrote:

>Brian_McKnight wrote:
>> I want to be able to have my WSUS environment install updates overnight to
>> client PC's but not necessarily restart the machines at that point (for
>> fear
>> that unsaved work will be lost.
1) The updates are NOT installed until the system is rebooted. They are prepared
to be installed during the next reboot. However you system can become unstable
with pending, half installed updates. For example a service may be stopped but
be incapable of restarting until the reboot.

2) the uses may lose work but they should be saving their work before going
home. In fact they should be logging off before going home. They will learn!

3)You could use option 3 - download and notify but the users will need admin or
elevate WSUS rights to install.

It's a management issue, either management want the system updated or they don't
care about the security implications of an unpatched system. OK you have a great
firewall but what about the memory sticks etc.

>> . .prompting upset end-users and
>> unneccessary Help Desk calls). The description of the Group Policy entry
>> for <No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Update installation options>
>> seems straghtforward enough. . .if you Enable, then the user will be
>> notified to manually restart. Is this what most people are experiencing?
>>
>> Also, I am curious as to how setting deadlines to updates that require
>> restarts will effect the behavior of the client PC's. Would the deadline
>> setting override the Group Policy setting and force a restart or would the
>> Group Policy setting override the deadline. I would think the latter, but
>> if anyone has experienced something different I would like to know.

Deadlines override EVERYTHING even the administrator. The update will install
and the system reboot (if necessary) and nobody can stop it.

>>
>> Thank you,
>> -Brian M. McKnight

--
Dave Mills
There are 10 types of people, those that understand binary and those that don't.